Thoughts and advice please on what I should do about preschool - a bit long and dull I'm afraid

[bran]

My current situation is that ds (very nearly 3) is in a nursery that I'm happy with. He really loves going there and he learns loads and has good friends. I work two full days and two half days. In 2009 we will be moving back to Dublin, probably around Easter time, ds will turn 5 in the summer of 2009.

Because he's so happy there I was planning to leave him at nursery until we move and then put him into school in Dublin in September 2009. It never really occured to me to think about what his friends at nursery will be doing. I've spoken to all the parents of his friends in his age group (bar one who I haven't crossed paths with recently) and they are all going somewhere else this September. So from September onwards ds will be the oldest by a considerable margin.

What should I do? I haven't bothered to register him with any schools as I wasn't planning to send him to school here. Schools are much shorter hours so I will have to arrange wrap-around care if I'm going to keep working, and I'd have to sort something out for the holidays. I know that at this age it's not proper school, but when I looked at some schools (before we decided to move to Ireland) they were much more sedentary than his nursery, which is very lively with lots of outings and dance class etc. I'm a bit reluctant to move him and have to move him again in 2009.

I'd leave him at nursery. He'll make other friends. It'll be fine.

Unless the money freed up would make a huge difference? Are all his frieds going to a nice pre school? It would be potentially a logistical nightmare though esp given hols etc. So I still think I'd leave him.

I'm not sure about making other friends WWW. If all his peers go in September then he will be the oldest by about 4 or 5 months. There will be another exodus in January (like there was this January), then he will be the oldest by about a year. Come Sept 2008 if the same thing happens, he will be the oldest by 18 months. Money isn't really an issue at all, although getting him into a good school at this stage might be tricky. A few of his friends are going to a nearby "Montessori" (in quotes because I don't think they are so much focussed on the Montessori philosophy as on the fees that the philosopy commands). A couple are moving out of the area anyway.

At the moment he is being held back because he can't move up to the next group until he's toilet trained. He does still see his friends (who have all moved up) for quite a bit of the day, but for probably a third to a half of the day he is with children who are slightly younger to a year younger than him and the nursery workers are saying that he does find it a bit boring. (However, we are finally making strides with pooing in the potty so hopefully he will move up in the next month or so.)